Michael Briese – Why Newcastle is my Favorite UK City

When you hear about cities in the United Kingdom, everyone always talks about London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. It is understandable why so many tourists would visit London, the impact it has had on the culture of the World is almost immeasurable and it is naturally the first stop off point for any traveller heading to the UK. On a personal note I want to make a case today for the awesome north east city of Newcastle.

After I left college, my amazing best friend Michael Briese and I, before he became such a success in the World of finance, went on a 3 month tour of Europe and spent 1 month of it in the United Kingdom. We rented a car and decided to explore and that is how we ended up in Newcastle. Here is why I think that there is no city quite like this one.

Unknown Icons

Everyone has seen the over the River Thames with Tower Bridge an Big ben behind it, these images of landmarks in London have become famous the World over. Newcastle however has some pretty amazing shots of its own which rarely get noticed. Traveling through the heart of the city is the River Tyne and if you check out a shot of the Tyne Bridge and its surroundings on Google then you will know exactly what I am talking about.

Friendly Locals

In the UK they say that those in the south aren’t as friendly as those in the north, this was something that had disagreed with until I got to Newcastle. I can honestly say that I have never met a more friendly, helpful and generous group of people anywhere in the World, not just the UK, as I met in Newcastle.

The Nightlife

Naturally, having just left college, me and my buddy were up for a good time and Newcastle was the place that gave us the best nights out. This place is packed with bars and clubs that really come alive on the weekends and it feel as though the entire city is out for a good time. If you want to have the best night out in the UK then Newcastle is the place to do it. So great is the nightlife here that many who come from elsewhere in the UK will travel to Newcastle just for a night out.

Proximity to Nature

Newcastle is not a big city by any stretch of the imagination, probably one of the reasons why it doesn’t get the credit that I feel it deserves. Just outside this small city however is some of the best nature that we found in the UK from beaches to hundreds of miles of untouched greenery. This area is called Northumberland and literally minutes outside of the city you can be standing on a beach or in the middle of a field with nothing on the horizon. If this place had great weather, its tourism numbers would be off the charts.